


Bring It On

by Kitsune_157



Category: NCIS
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gibbs' Basement, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Song: Bring It On by Trace Adkins, Songfic, hardly even slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-02
Updated: 2013-04-02
Packaged: 2020-02-28 11:27:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18755530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kitsune_157/pseuds/Kitsune_157
Summary: Very mild slash. Mainly a hurt/comfort fic. Where do they end up when they're upset? Gibbs' basement, of course. Part one focuses on Gibbs, part two focuses on Tony. Songfic. Complete.





	Bring It On

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was a request. The song used in this fic, as Tony will tell you, is Bring It On by Trace Adkins.

Part 1 - Gibbs

As DiNozzo stood in front of the the door, he wondered how he had ended up here again. Tony was upset and had gone for a drive to calm himself down and had somehow ended up here; at his boss' front door. There was really no point going back now and he didn't think he was so upset that he would be too obvious so he took the risk. Grasping the door handle, the young man opened it and walked through the dark house to the basement stairs where the only light was visible. He walked slowly down the stairs, trying to be quiet but knowing that Gibbs had probably heard him as soon as his car had pulled up on his road. He could see him sanding the boat as usual and the normalcy of it made him smile a little. Though his gaze did not move from the wood in front of him, Tony knew that Gibbs was aware of his presence. No one could sneak up on Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

DiNozzo sat down when he reached the second to last step and just watched his boss work for a few minutes before finally greeting him.

"Hey Gibbs."

"DiNozzo." Gibbs replied without looking away from his sanding. "What's up?"

"Nothing much. Just thought I'd stop by." He answered in what he hoped was an indifferent and nonchalant tone that gave away none of his inner turmoil.

"I can tell when you're lying DiNozzo."

Apparently it had not worked.

It's just... my father, alright? He left a message on my answering phone; says he has money troubles and needs to borrow some again. Just brought back some bad memories..."

"Again? This happen often?" Gibbs asked, a frown on his face. He had chosen to ignore the second part for now.

"Not that often... just once or twice a year. He says he'll repay me but I know that's bullshit. He's been saying it for years but as soon as he gets any money, he blows it on luxury hotels and flights to exotic countries and then before he knows it, he's bankrupt again and calling me for help again..." Tony mumbled, not really wanting to share this information with the older man.

Finally, Gibbs ceased the steady strokes of the sanding block against the timber and looked over at his senior field agent. He could see the tension in his posture; he was sitting stiffly and fidgeting, looking ready to bolt at the slightest provocation.

He felt rage fill him at the mention of Tony's bastard of a father. He hadn't heard much about Tony's parents but from what he heard, he had decided that he did not like the man who dared to call himself Tony's father in the least.

"C'mere." Gibbs said to Tony, curling a finger in the universal 'come hither' gesture. When his agent obliged and walked over to stand in front of him, he put a hand on the small of his back and gently pushed him in the direction of the boat. Reaching over to the counter behind them, Gibbs picked up another sanding block and threw it to Tony, the younger man catching even though he was not expecting it.

"Err... boss? Why are you giving me this?" The younger agent asked.

"Because, DiNozzo, you're going to sand." Gibbs said, mentally laughing at the surprise written all over his second in command's face.

"But I don't know how! I'll screw it up..." DiNozzo muttered, head lowered.

"I'll teach you." Gibbs said and proceeded to demonstrate to the younger man how to correctly sand wood.

"Just remember to go with the grain. Do that and you can't really go wrong." He reassured as he finished his brief tutorial.

"Ummm... ok. I'll give it a go." Tony hesitated before beginning to sand the boat as he had been shown.

"See? You've got it. Good job DiNozzo." The older man encouraged , choosing not to comment on the grin he saw spread across DiNozzo's face at the praise.

"Thanks boss."

They sanded in near silence for a few minutes, the only sound heard being the sandpaper being dragged across the timber of the boat. The sanding was relaxing and Tony began to understand why his boss spent so much time doing it.

"You know Gibbs, I've always wondered why I bother lending money to my father. I know full well that he won't pay it back and I know that he doesn't deserve all the money, yet I still can't manage to deny him it. He has always treated me like shit so why do I do it?

Actually I know why I do it. I'm naïve enough to think that one of these times, he'll actually take notice of the fact that his son is lending him money again and show some gratitude. I want him to care enough to say thank you and speak to me when he isn't broke. Is that really so much to ask Gibbs? He hardly ever even saw me as a kid and when he did it was to take me to some kind of business event to show me off dressed in a little suit like a pet or a trophy or something and then shoved me back to the help when I'd served my purpose impressing clients. I just wanted him to notice me... to care... just once." Tony confessed, words coming out a little choked near the end as tears began to trail down his cheeks.

Gibbs put down the sanding block in his own hand and took Tony's from his shaking hand, placing them both on the counter before drawing the younger man into a hug that caught Tony very much by surprise. He look up at his boss in shock, tear tracks smeared across his face. Reaching out a hand towards him, Gibbs wiped them away as much as he could and put a hand gently on the back of Tony's head, guiding it down to rest on his shoulder. With his arms wrapped around him, the marine ("There's no such thing as an ex-marine") could feel Tony's sobs shaking his body and he felt the rage at Anthony DiNozzo Snr. that had been briefly suppressed rise up once again as he saw what an effect the bastard had had on his senior field agent. Tears were soaking his t-shirt but he didn't care, all that mattered right now was Tony.

Part 2 - DiNozzo

Once again, DiNozzo could be found outside his boss' house but this time he knew exactly why he was there. The events of that week, specifically that day, had had a major effect on him and he could scarcely imagine how it had affected Gibbs.

**~Flashback~**

Tony PoV

Everything went in slow motion as Gibbs reversed the car straight into the lake and I was diving in after it before the vehicle had even stopped sinking.

The shock of the cold water didn't hit me until a few seconds later but was quickly forgotten as the car came into view through the murky water. I swam towards it as fast as was possible and tried to keep focused and composed at the sight of Gibbs stuck and surrounded by water, concentrating on the relief I felt when I saw that he was still awake and moving.

With his help we got the girl, Maddie, out of the car and I dragged her with me to the surface, already feeling the burn in my lungs and my muscles. I wished I could have freed Gibbs first but I knew that the girl may not have lasted that long since she was already unconscious when I got to her.

When we surfaced I pulled her onto dry land and lay her down before immediately jumping in again to find Gibbs. My muscles were protesting strongly but the mere thought of losing Gibbs made me push far beyond my limits and keep going. I knew I would be paying dearly for it the next day but that didn't matter; all that mattered was saving Gibbs. When I reached him, what felt like hours later, he had lost consciousness and I had to fight to keep my panic at bay.

'He's not dead. Leroy Jethro Gibbs would not die so easily. He is not dead. He is not dead, just unconscious. He is not dead.' I began to repeat that, like a mantra, to keep me going and not to give into the panic threatening to overwhelm me. In a miraculous, adrenaline-fuelled feat of strength I broke the steering wheel off to give me enough space to pull Gibbs free. Exhausted, I swam with him to the surface and lay him down next to Maddie. Checking for breathing, I performed chest compressions and, with no hesitation, mouth-to-mouth. At any other time I would have relished in the feel of my lips on his but this was too serious, too life threatening, for such thoughts.

I continued for several minutes, desperation beginning to seep through. He couldn't leave me! Not again! I couldn't live with it if he died, especially knowing I was right there and still couldn't save him. I realised that I was saying some of this aloud but I didn't care. All I cared about was stopping those blue eyes looking so dull and lifeless. I didn't think I would ever forget that image...

As much as I wanted to continue CPR, in the hopes that he would come around, one look at the girl next to him showed me that she needed my help too. I may not have known her but I couldn't just let the girl die while I tried, possibly in vain, to resuscitate my boss. I turned my attention to her though my mind stayed with Jethro. Only a minute or so later, she began to awaken and only minutes after that I heard quiet noises from behind me. I span around and saw Gibbs, still laying in the same position as before, having hardly moved but I could see the small differences and I nearly cried in relief and joy. His chest was rising and falling, albeit a little unsteadily, and his eyes had regained the life that I had longed so much to see. My heart was pounding, my own breathing was still a little unsteady and my muscles burning like I had never felt before but the relief I felt in that moment outweighed all of that. No words could describe the pure terror that I had felt when the older man had not responded to the CPR and I hoped to never feel that level of fear again.

**~Flashback over~**

DiNozzo walked through the familiar house, knowing the way despite the all the lights being switched off. Well all but one of course. He headed towards the basement where the only light in the house was and where he knew he would find his boss working on some kind of woodwork project, usually the wooden boat that took up a large portion of the room.

What he did not expect was to see was the older man slumped down against the wall with an almost empty bottle of bourbon in his hand.

Walking cautiously over to Gibbs, he studied the man. Tony had never seen the man like this. Even after a particularly sensitive or difficult case, Gibbs had never gotten this drunk before and Tony didn't know how to handle it. What kind of drunk was Gibbs? When he was within an arms length of Gibbs, DiNozzo spoke up.

"Hey boss?"

The older man's head lifted to look at the visitor and a small smile took it's place on his face when he managed to focus his eyes enough to figure out who it was.

"Tony!" Gibbs said with a slight grin. "Don't call me boss. We're not at work and I'm drunk out my mind so I don't exactly deserve your respect right now..." He slurred, his grin diminishing a little.

"Alright Gibbs." Tony said, uncertainly.

"Jethro. Just call me Jethro, Tony. I think we know each other well enough for that by now." Gibbs mumbled.

"Alright... Jethro..." Tony muttered, trying to ignore the speeding up of his heart at merely being allowed to call Gibbs in such an intimate way, unaware that Gibbs himself was doing the same. "How are you doing?"

"Could be better." Jethro slurred. "Bad memories..."

"Yeah, I bet." DiNozzo replied, trying to think of something appropriate to say. In typical Tony style, what came to mind was a quote, though not from a film as normal.

_""It's not too late to fly away_

__

__

And I won't try to stop you

So you do what you've got to

I'll understand

But if you need a place to land

A haven, safe and certain

Someone to share your burden

_Then take my hand.""_

He held out a hand as he finished speaking and looked straight into the blue eyes that had caught his as he had recited the lyrics.

He was a little surprised when Gibbs actually reached out and grasped the hand he had extended towards him and Tony pulled him up from the floor. Not letting go of his hand, he led the older man to the stairs and sat him down, then sitting down next to him. He placed an arm around his boss' shoulders and tried to mentally prepare himself for the conversation that was to come.

"Gi- Jethro, I know about Shannon and Kelly. I have done for years but you never brought it up so neither did I." Tony whispered and he felt the man next to him at the mention of their names.

"You knew? Well, I guess that saves me having to tell you the story then at least... I don't know how you found out but, to be honest, I don't really care right now... I should have been there..." Jethro told Tony.

When Gibbs saw Tony's questioning look, he asked, "I guess you don't know the whole story then." DiNozzo shook his head. "When they were... killed... I was out of the country with the marines. I should have been there with them, to protect them. I could have saved them or at least tried! Or I could have been there with them at the end, reassured them that I loved them, done something!" Gibbs trailed off a little, his voice having risen during his short tirade. He continued in a softer voice. "I felt a bit better after I killed the bastard that did it but... I was in a pretty bad place for a while. You know, I almost killed myself once. Had the gun in my hand ready to just shoot myself through the head and make it all end but... something stopped me."

Tony was gaping at the other man. He had never even suspected that he had even considered it let alone almost done it! He was shocked and... scared. What if this upheaval of memories and emotions caused him to try it again... Maybe he'd really do it this time... What would Tony do if that happened?! He couldn't even imagine it; didn't want to imagine it!

"Do you... do you feel like that now? You know... like you need to... end it all?" Tony whispered, voice cracking a bit as he tried to voice his fears.

"No! No, Tony, I'm fine this time. Well not exactly fine but i'll get over it... I regret trying it then and I have things to live for now. People to live for." He assured, his gaze lingering on Tony as he spoke the last sentence, his look pointed and expressive.

When Tony could finally tear his eyes away, he did. Reminding himself that, although he was a rather eloquent drunk, Gibbs was in fact still drunk and anything Jethro did now, he may very well regret by morning.

Giving a gentle but reassuring squeeze to the older man's shoulder, Tony said "Thank God. I couldn't deal with that..." before standing up and turning to ascend the stairs.

"You can crash on the couch if you want." Jethro told him.

"Thanks boss."

"What did I tell you about calling me boss at the moment?"

"Right, ok... Jethro." Tony spoke, voice close to normal as the conversation became less serious and his playful personality began to come back into play.

"Before you go, Tony. What was that quote from earlier?"

"Quote? Oh, that was from a song. 'Bring It On' by Trace Adkins. Night Jethro." Tony answered then headed up the stairs.

"Good night Tony... Thank you." Gibbs whispered although he knew that Tony was already upstairs and wouldn't hear him.


End file.
